Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center — Attraction in Newburyport

We visited on a Saturday morning in mid-June 2025.

There was plenty of spots as we were here before the visitor center opened. We didn't have much time but wanted to check the visitor center out and get our Blue Goose Passport Cancellation Stamp. Glad we did because apparently this location actually had multiple stamps including Wapack, Great Bay, Thacher Island and Parker River National Wildlife Refuges.

The visitor center itself was very nice. The bathrooms and water fountain were to the left. Direction to the right was a large auditorium and moving straight there was the information desk which was staffed by a lovely and very friendly volunteer was excited to talk with us. The stamps were kept behind the counter. There was also a flurry of rangers running around setting up for the days activities. They had a ton of tables setup for some kind of kids program. Arts and crafts and owl pellet dissection it was very well done. Locals seemed to know about it as well because multiple families with children came in waiting for the activities to begin. We had no idea what was going on as we were stopping by on our road trip.

We took a look around the visitor center and it's exhibits which were very well done. The facility was very clean and modern looking. There was a library area as well. Unfortunately there was no merch store. I'm not sure if it's because the friends group wasn't large enough or just starting out but all we could leave with was the stamps and a map.

We didn't have time to stay more than 30 mins but it was well worth it. If we had known about all the activities we may have changed our schedule around for the day but it was too late and we needed to leave to make it to our next destinations in time.

We would 100% visit again if we were driving through the area. 30 mins was just not enough time to really...

Signed up for their free activities - Wapack Blueberry Hike on August 9, 2023 and Hellcat Birding Tour on August 12, 2023. The staff were super friendly. They are enthusiastic about the nature and wildlife. Wapack is in another area, where the hike is moderate to difficult, and we picked wild blueberries on the way to the top. The Parker River Refuge is a great place to visit. Many people come here to watch and photograph birds. The boardwalks are beautiful. There are seven parking lots, and Parking Lot 1 is where the headquarters is. Many people come to Parking Lot 1 to swim on the beach. There is another beach at Parking Lot 7, but parking spots are very limited and I was not able to park. It was fine for me for I did not plan to swim. There is a lot to see in the whole refuge and it is really a great...

Parker River Wildlife Refuge makes up the whole south side of Plum Island. A big long stretch of beach and marsh with several habitats and wildlife. Bird watchers will especially love Parker River, there are many species that visit throughout the year (including winter). Admission to the refuge is $5, but a year pass is $20- if you think you’ll return a few times over the year a yearly pass is a good way to go. There is beach access closest to the gate, and then all the way at the very end- the beach will sometimes be restricted because of piping plovers. Check out the information center as you head over to the refuge- it’s before the bridge near...